Canada's TC Energy shut its Keystone pipeline in the United States after more than 14,000 barrels of crude oil spilled into a creek in Kansas, making it one of the largest crude spills in the United States in nearly a decade.
The cause of the leak, which occurred in Kansas about 20 miles (32 km) south of a key junction in Steele City, Nebraska, is unknown. It is the third spill of several thousand barrels of crude on the pipeline since it first opened in 2010.
The 622,000 barrel-per-day Keystone line is a critical artery shipping heavy Canadian crude from Alberta to refiners in the U.S. Midwest and the Gulf Coast. It is unclear how long the closure will last.
There have been no effects on drinking water wells or the public, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement, though surface water of Mill Creek was affected.
Kellan Ashford, spokesperson for EPA Region 7, which includes Kansas, said the cause of the leak was still unclear on Thursday evening.
TC had mobilised around 100 people to respond to the spill, while the EPA had dispatched two coordinators, Ashford said. Washington County Emergency Management and Kansas's Department of Health and Safety were also on the scene.
Keystone shut the line at about 8 p.m. CT Wednesday (0200 GMT Thursday) after alarms went off and system pressure dropped, TC said in a release. It said booms were being used to contain the spill.
The U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) ordered the pipeline to remain shut until the regulator authorizes a restart, it said in a statement late Thursday. In addition, Keystone will have to operate at a lower pressure in the affected segment of the line when it is restarted.
LARGEST ONSHORE SPILL IN YEARS
According to PHMSA data, this would be the largest crude oil leak since a Tesoro pipeline leaked more than 20,000 barrels of oil in North Dakota in October 2013.
https://www.yahoo.com/video/keystone-pipeline-shut-oil-release-123856889.html
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